


Thea

by SherlockPendragon501



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Thea's in from the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockPendragon501/pseuds/SherlockPendragon501
Summary: "Oliver stalked over to the wide window, surveying the deteriorating city he still had to save. By Gods, he had to save it--but first he needed Thea to save him."AU where Oliver misses the rescue ship in his fight with Kovar, and isn't found for two years after that. Oliver never dated Laurel, and he took Sara on the Gambit anyways; he spent seven years focusing on returning back to his city and to his sister.





	1. Chapter 1

_Where’s Thea?_ Was Oliver’s first and only thought when Moira Queen entered the hospital room, face ashen with both disbelief and relief; she hardly recognized the man in front of her.

 _Where’s Thea? This is wrong._ He saw his mother in the reflection on the window, made visible by the darkness outside. Her hair was different, as was her posture, and her eyes were fearful. She approached him carefully, like she was trying not to startle some wild animal. Oliver turned around to face his mother. He tried to smile. It didn’t work.

“Oh, my beautiful boy,” she said, voice breaking as she pulled Oliver into a desperate hug.

Oliver went rigid for a moment, startled by the contact. He didn’t remember right away to react because he didn’t even remember what another person felt like, but after a moment he returned the embrace. He tried to respond but all that came out was some choking noise; he kept looking at the door, expecting his sister to come skipping in, as if she’d just been waiting behind her mother for a bit, but she never came. He saw his and his mother’s shadows against the opposite wall, which he wanted desperately to see through, to walk through that wall and find his sister.

Someone scuffed their foot in the hallway; Oliver’s head snapped in the direction of the sound. “Thea?” he croaked, voice cracking horribly. This was the first time he’d spoken since he was found, and likely the first time he’d spoken in over a year.

Moira pulled away and held Oliver’s face in her hands. “No, honey, it’s your mother.”

“Thea…” Oliver pulled away from his mother completely, bounding over to the door. He tried to peer around the corner and down the hallway through the slit in the window, but he couldn’t see anything but some man’s heels. He pushed on the door once, and it didn’t give. He then started pounding on it more frantically, searching for the handle with his hands as his eyes continued to strain to see more of what was happening in the hallway. “Thea!”

“Your sister’s not here, Oliver,” Moira said, loudly enough for him to hear.

 _What happened to her? Where is she?!_ Oliver’s words came out as nothing more than air and a strange whistling sound.

“You’ll see her tomorrow. See _Thea,_ ” Moira said, sensing her son’s distress.

Oliver noticed Moira start to articulate her words more and speak slower. _What, does she think I’ve lost English?_

“Thea will come visit tomorrow.”

Oliver closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _Thea’s okay. Thea’s okay and I’ll see her tomorrow._

He also took ‘visit’ to mean he’d be staying in the hospital overnight. Oliver huffed and stalked back over to the wide window, surveying the deteriorating city he still had to save. By Gods, he had to save it, but first he needed Thea to save him.

 

After seeing her son for the first time in seven years, Moira realized it wasn’t really her son she’d seen: he’d become someone almost unrecognizable, yet someone  she still loved more than her soul. It was a miracle she made it to the limousine before she collapsed in dry sobs, burying herself in her husband’s arms.

“It’s really him?” Walter asked softly, stroking Moira’s back soothingly.

“Yes,” Moira choked. “Doctor Lam said he might not be the Oliver I lost, but...It’s like he’s someone else, _something_ else. He looked right through me, Walter. I hardly know him anymore, and...I don’t think he even recognises me.”

“Shh, Moira. You’ll just have to learn each other again. It may take time, but you’ll have your son back. He’ll come back to you, darling.”


	2. Chapter 2

Thea cried when her mother told her her brother was alive and had returned home. She cried not out of sadness, rather unnamable intense emotion; she hugged her mother, but more because she'd simply been the one to deliver the news; she ran outside to the car still in her pajamas, and her mother actually had to tell her it was freezing cold before she even noticed. The two women and Walter left to the hospital shortly after.

The car ride was a blur. Moira informed Thea that her brother wouldn't be the same Ollie that left. Thea responded immediately: “He's still my brother, and no force can change that.” Moira and Walter exchanged looks.

 

Dr. Lam debriefed them before they entered the hospital room. It was a relatively similar spiel to the one Moira had received the night before, but this time it seemed to be directed at Thea alone; the nineteen year-old was radiating excitement and bouncing on the balls of her feet to get a look through the window behind the doctor.

“...No sudden movements, and no loud noises; he's hypervigilant, and he's not used to being around so many people yet,” Dr. Lam finished. Everyone fell silent as the doctor pushed open the door he'd been standing in front of and let the group in.

 

Oliver had been watching the door from the other side of the room, sensing action on the other side. He could only see Dr. Lam’s back through the small window, but he knew he had visitors. _Thea_.

The door suddenly jolted open, creating a sound that made Oliver jump. First, his mother came in.

“Mom,” he said quietly.

A tall and smartly dressed black man came in. “Hello, Oliver,” the man said curtly before sidestepping to reveal a third visitor.

Oliver’s carefully held breath left him when his eyes locked with his sister’s.

“ _Ollie!_ ” Thea ran over to her long lost brother. She felt her mother make some kind of move to stop her because of that ‘no loud noises or sudden movements’ rule, but she flung herself into Oliver’s arms anyway.

Oliver’s world melted into a warm cloud as Thea’s arms wrapped around him. “Speedy…” he whispered, pulling her into an even tighter embrace.

She looked up at him, chin still pressed into his chest. “I missed you,” she said before burrowing her head back onto his shoulder.

“You were with me the whole time,” Oliver said, voice quiet and hoarse from disuse.

They held on to each other for a good five minutes, and it seemed there were no more words needed. Only when they pulled away from each other did they each realize they had tears streaming down their faces; they both smiled sheepishly, realizing their portraits mirrored each other’s, and Thea tucked her long wavy hair behind her ear.

“Oliver can come home today,” Moira announced. “With us now, if he wishes.” The siblings looked at each other, both grinning or trying to, before nodding vigorously. “I'll have Dr. Lam discharge you now.”

 

The ride home could only be described as ‘tingly,’ Thea thought. Unsaid words buzzed through the backseat of the limo in a cycle, racing rapidly; Thea felt her heart seem to vibrate, like it did when she took a breath in the cold—but she didn't feel cold. She just felt ‘tingly.”

Thea and her brother’s eyes met each other’s nearly every half minute, and Oliver would chuckle every time. Thea felt kind of weird for thinking this, but she was pretty sure Oliver was _practicing_ smiling and laughing; the corners of his mouth would twitch and spasm subtly every time he tried to smile, and he seemed to be frustrated with this; he practiced on her.  
Other than the sound of Oliver’s impatient tapping on the window, the car ride home was silent.

Thea thought that another strange thing Oliver did was not let anyone else carry or even touch the trunk he had with him. She kind of got why: that's where he keeps his only possessions of seven years. She found herself not only wondering about the trunk’s contents, but also its origin; either Oliver found it, made it, or got it from the Chinese whaling company that found him.

A third thing Thea noticed was that Oliver tried to maintain a point of contact with her at all times; her hand, her shoulder, his breath to her hair, or his eyes locked with hers.

She and Moira had led Oliver back up to his room, but he seemed to know the way on his own.

“Nothing here’s changed since you left,” Moira said. Oliver froze and set his eyes on some point through the window: the direction of Starling City. _No, everything’s changed._

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Nothing here’s changed since you left,” Moira said. Oliver froze and set his eyes on some point through the window: the direction of Starling City. No, everything’s changed. 

Outwardly, though, Oliver nodded in acknowledgement. He scanned his room. Really, he was mapping it out in his head: chair to door, bathroom to window, bed to—wow, a bed. He had an—an actual _bed;_ he wasn't sure he could sleep in it.

“I'll have Raisa bring up some food,” Moira said, leaving but keeping the door open wide.

Raisa came up about twenty minutes later, bearing trays of snacks: fruits, crackers, sandwiches, and desserts; Moira came behind the maid with an ornate chess set and some playing cards. Thea had been telling Oliver what had been happening the past seven years—not in the city, or the world, but just what'd been happening with _her_. She told him about being bullied an about going through a rough time (she didn't elaborate, but Oliver already knew some conversation of the details); she told him about her passion and commitment with dance, and about her newly opened nightclub, “Verdant.”

“Oliver,” Moira started, “Dr. Lam says you should take it easy today—re-familiarize yourself with your house and your family. Let's not go back into the city quite yet, okay? Is there anything you'd like to do?”

Oliver stared at his mother long and hard, calculating. After perhaps a moment too long of this, Moira departed. “Alright, no pressure, honey. I love you both _so_ much. I'll see you later.”

After Raisa had left and Thea had started setting up the chessboard, Oliver turned to his sister. “She’s testing me,” he said in a low but matter-of-fact voice. He started to set up his side of the chessboard, surprising himself when he remembered the order of the pieces.

“Testing you?” Thea asked. She kept her tone casual as she straightened her knights and bishops so they faced forward.

“She's trying to get to me to talk. I mean, I know—” he coughed to try and get the scratchy sound out of his voice, “—I sound great, but I have no idea what she expects me to say. And now she brings,” he gestured to the board, “chess. She's trying to see if I have it going on up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.

“Ollie, she's just being mom. Everything she does seems suspicious, but that's just because she tries to do everything so ‘properly.’”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “You go first,” he said. Thea moved one of her pawns forward.

“Seriously, don't sweat it. And as for,” Thea pointed to her temple as Oliver had done, “this part, I think we all know that seven years sober has to have gotten you thinking straight.”

Oliver sighed and moved one of his own pawns to open up exits for his queen and one of his bishops. “Not exactly what I meant, but thanks,” he muttered. Thea moved one of her knights forward and her eyes fell to the platters of food. She went straight for the bite-sized lemon bars.

Oliver looked over at the food as well, feeling like Thea might’ve been prompting him. Everything looked so...complicated. He went straight for the sandwich; he recognized pastrami, and there were a whole bunch of other things that he hadn't eaten in years. He scolded himself for being so excited about a _sandwich_ , but _ooh, it's on pretzel bread!_

He shoved the whole thing in his mouth, but, to be fair, it was a rather small sandwich (good thing there was a whole pile of them). He recognized immediately it was too much. Not quantitatively, but the actual flavor was too much. _Much_ too much. “Uhm…” Thea looked at him funny. He couldn't exactly spit it out; he determinedly swallowed it all. Despite his efforts, though, it came right back up, burning his throat. He bolted for the bathroom. 

Thea was, at the least, shocked when her brother suddenly launched himself not only out of his chair, but cleanly over the table, not even knocking a single chess piece or sandwich over. He made straight for the bathroom, and she heard him retching. She stood up and walked slowly after him.

“Ollie, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he stood up and walked right back over to the chess table.

“What _was_ that?”

“Oh, I think I figured out why they were feeding me through an IV at the hospital. I think I'll stick with apples.” This time he walked carefully around the table and to his seat. Was Thea just supposed to ignore his—albeit awesome—parkour move a few moments before? 

Apparently. Oliver sat calmly down and moved a chess piece. Suddenly, a question popped into Thea’s mind. It wasn't to pressing or thought provoking, so she asked it right away.

“How’d you maintain your teeth on the island? They look fine. Actually, they look great. How is that even possible?”

“It's mostly because of the lack of sugar in my diet, or so I'd guess.”

“That makes sense,” Thea helped herself to a cinnamon bun. “But I'd never be able to give up sugar.”

Oliver smiled at his sister. “Luckily, you’ll never have to.”


	4. Chapter 4

The siblings spent the next couple hours playing chess and other games, Thea talking to Oliver once in awhile, but never about anything too serious. She didn't talk as if nothing had happened, but as if there was no barrier between them. It was a relief, really, for Oliver.

After a long break in conversation and an ended game of ‘Spite and Malice,’ which Oliver had won, Oliver finally asked. “Can we go outside?” He sounded hesitant, like he'd been trying to ask this question for a long time.

“...Yeah, okay. I'll just go get my coat,” Thea said, standing up from her criss-cross position on the floor. She jogged from the room and Oliver followed her.

Once she had put on her coat and boots at the doorway, Thea turned around. “Ollliverrr!’ she called.

“Speedy, I'm right here.”

Thea's head swiveled to look at the door, by which Oliver was standing, hand on the handle. He definitely hadn't been there moments before.

“How did you—” Oliver opened the door and stepped outside. Thea followed behind him. “Maybe you should be Speedy,” Thea muttered. She smiled when Oliver turned around with an eyebrow raised as to say “I heard that.”

The two travelled down the walkway, and then onto the road.

“What exactly did you want to do out here?” Thea asked. “Hey, you're not wearing a coat! It's pretty chilly today.”

“It was ‘chilly’ on the island too, I guess I got used to it,” Oliver said. “We can go back inside, if you want. I just wanted to—you know, get to know the area. I remember the house’s interior, but I've realized I never really payed attention to the—the trees outside; the animals in them. I was so wrapped up in myself I didn't even get to know anything else; I can do that now; I can see things now.”

“In that case, I'd like to find that sort of clarity. Into the woods we go,” Thea said, grabbing her brother’s hand and pulling him off of the road. It was autumn, so the fallen leaves—more brown than red or orange—obscured most of the dirt; the sun had arisen that afternoon, and although there was still an icy breeze, the frozen leaves had softened. Oliver, of course, observed this—the ground would be soft for landing. When the two had out-stepped the sight and sound of the road, Oliver stopped so abruptly that Thea nearly tripped. Oliver then walked over to the nearest tree and put his hands on its tall trunk. 

“Uh...Ollie? What are you doing?”

“Like I said, getting to know the area.” He proceeded to bound up the tree—in a way Thea didn't even know was possible—until he reached the lowest branches of the evergreen (they walked by most of the oaks by this point). Oliver sat perched on one of the bigger branches, arms resting casually on his knees. He looked down at Thea, cocking his head slightly, before turning and lurching up the tree at an impossible speed. Barely in her line of sight, he jumped onto the nearby branch of another tree; Thea winced when she thought he was going to fall, but he didn't. “I like these!” Oliver called down.

“Continue this way and I'll start calling you Tarzan!” Thea shouted up the base of the tree. She heard Oliver laugh, sounding rather forced and more like a deep-throated squirrel than a man; the sound seemed to be coming from somewhere behind her, so Thea quickly figured out she was barking up the wrong tree. She narrowed her eyes, smiled, and shook her head before running in the opposite direction. Her eyes landed on a tree with branches so low they nearly touched the ground. Thea knew she was taking perhaps the easiest route in the forest, but she hadn't climbed anything resembling a tree since she was probably...twelve. She hadn't climbed a tree since Oliver died. 

He was back now. He'd come back home, and he hadn't left her side since.

Thea started pushing herself up the branches, feeling oddly powerful as she did so; she was subconsciously picturing herself as she'd seen Oliver lurch upwards with every movement. She didn't look down until she was about thirty feet high, but when she did, she didn't feel the same cold feeling in her gut that usually came with heights; Oliver was with her, and it just made sense that she was safe. She looked back up and was met with Oliver’s deep blue eyes—her sense of safety was breached when she nearly jumped from the tree in surprise.

“Is this going to be a thing with you?!” Thea demanded. Oliver shrugged. 

After another five minutes or so of Thea mostly watching Oliver jump around the trees and occasionally stop and stare at something far off, “we should probably go in,” Oliver stated.

“Why? I didn't come up here for nothing.”

“Raisa’s been checking on us every twenty minutes—Mom.”

Thea sighed. “Alright." 

Oliver descended the tree by jumping and grabbing different branches on his way down to control his fall. Thea waited until he landed on the ground to start to carefully climb down; Oliver was jostling the tree violently. On her way down, Thea made a mental note to talk with her mom about impeding on her re-bonding with her brother and giving Oliver anxiety, at least if she ever had the chance to talk with her mother in private.

As the two walked home, Thea asked an occasional question. She was either met with an alarming silence or an even more alarming answer.

“So you climbed a bunch of trees on the island.”

“Yeah, good way to avoid the landmines.” Silence. 

“...Okaay. Care to elaborate?”

“Not particularly,” Oliver responded. Silence.


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver mapped out the mansion, paying special attention to every entrance door, window, and air vents; he seemed to expect burglars around every corner, or maybe even someone else. Thea used this opportunity to speak to Raisa, asking her, for dinner, to prepare something a lot simpler in ingredients for Oliver. Raisa assured her something would be made alongside the course Moira had asked for.

In spite of both Thea’s and Raisa’s efforts, dinner that night was disastrous. Tommy and Laurel weren't to come until the next day; Moira had declared this would be a dinner for family only, and Oliver was never told of this or his old friends ever wanting to come. 

“Oliver, _please_ eat something,” Moira urged. Raisa had, of course, brought something separate for Oliver, but with all the sauce and garnish Oliver was chary to eat much of it. Oliver squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and Thea noticed him twirling a steak knife between his fingers underneath the table. “You must be _starving_ , and you _have_ to have missed your favorite lasagna, or at least our dinners together.” Oliver desperately looked between the flavorful lasagna and his sister. “I have _so_ missed our dinners together.”

“Mom, _quit it_ ,” Thea finally gritted. 

Moira turned her head to her daughter, eyes wide with alarm and offense. “Excuse me?” 

“Moira…” Walter started. Moira put a hand on his to silence him.

“Stop talking to him like that!” Thea shouted. Oliver flinched at her tone; Thea dialed back.

“We are going to have a conversation, Thea,” Moira said with a sort of forced calm.

“You can bet on that,” said Thea, glaring.

A minute or so of uncomfortable silence seemed to lighten the mood. Oliver had been eying Walter from time to time. Finally, he tapped his ring finger and smiled at Moira and Walter, nodding to each of them individually.

“I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand?” Walter asked. Oliver's eyes averted downward.

“Congratulations,” Thea restated for her brother. “On your marriage.”

“Oh, thank you, Oliver. Walter and I have been married for four years now, and you must believe that neither of us ever did anything to disrespect your father. He, like you, was gone,” Moira said. Oliver nodded again in her direction, this time with a small affirming smile on his face. Walter could be heard breathing a sigh of relief.

“Well, if you're feeling up to it, your friends Tommy and Laurel have made an offer to take you through the city on the morrow,” Moira said.

Oliver's already frozen features seemed to set. He knew he needed to survey the city, and soon—not for the reasons his family would suspect—but he wasn't sure if he could deal with all the people, all the chaos daylight would bring. Sacrifices must be made, he supposed, and if he planned on dealing with the city's worst by night, he'd better get used to a little chaos.

“Mom,” Thea hissed as Oliver nodded agreement to going out with Laurel and Tommy; Dr. Lam had said he should stay away from the city for a few days, but Thea didn't know if Oliver had been told the extent of the reasons why or if he would be offended by the suggestion he couldn't handle something; Thea had always known Oliver to be rather spiteful, and she was sure no amount of time on an island could change that. Instead, she compounded her list of things to confront her mother about and objected Oliver’s leaving.

“You sure, Ollie? I was thinking we should take another day or so just to hang out here. We do have quite a bit to catch up on,” she said.

Oliver turned to her. “What better way to catch up than to live the aftermath?” he said under his breath.

 _Aftermath?_ “I'm not sure I—” Thea started.

Oliver stood up abruptly, setting his dinner knife down and grabbing a pear from a fruit bowl. He stood up and raised his head—a silent plea to leave. After a hesitant pause, Moira dismissed him.

Thea couldn't help but feel hurt at her brother’s departure. Hadn't he been adamant on spending the whole day with her? And since when did he interrupt her? It'd been one of the few instances when he spoke and he used it to shut her down, shut her out. 

“Thea,” Moira said sternly once Oliver's footsteps had receded up the stairs. “I will not tolerate you speaking to me that way.”

“I feel I may not be needed here,” said Walter, standing up. As he left, he caught Thea's gaze and grimaced knowingly.

“I will speak however I please as you try and guilt-trip my brother into eating food he can't possibly stomach.”

“How can you accuse me of such?” Moira exclaimed. “No, I'm sorry if I'm happy to have my son home and I'm using this found time to care for him.”

“So you think that going against doctor’s orders and sending him back to the city where he'll undoubtedly be swarmed by reporters is ‘caring?’”

“I trust Oliver not to go places and do things he can't handle; it's not for me to decide where he goes—”

“—Or what he eats.”

Moira raised an eyebrow. “If his diet is of such importance to you, feel free to talk with Dr. Lam.”

“I think I will,” said Thea, standing up. “And while I'm there, I'll get him to order you to stop pressuring my brother into doing things he's not ready for.”

“Thea, I am not ‘pressuring’ your brother.”

“He feels like you are, and he doesn't even know what you want him to do.”

“And how do you know that?”

“He told me.”

“He—” Thea left.

Thea's last words left a blow in Moira’s chest. Oliver had ‘told’ Thea, talked to Thea, perhaps all day, and ha hadn't actually addressed her once. She wondered what she could've possibly done for her son to not speak with her after seven years apart. Even when it had only been her in the room, at the hospital, the only thing Oliver would say was ‘Thea,’ and it hurt Moira beyond belief; she’d never felt so forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey, Ollie?” Thea asked, pushing her brother's door open a crack. The light was off. “Do you want to...uh...do you want to watch a movie?” She felt so childish asking, but she really wanted to do something... _ familiar  _ with Oliver that night; maybe convince him another day or two in the mansion would be a good idea. 

Oliver popped up in the doorway. “What did you have in mind?” He smiled at her, making it evident he wanted something familiar as well. 

They ended up watching the first episode of  _ I Dream of Genie  _ in celebration of Oliver's return. Raisa advised them to go to bed soon, so they stopped after one episode.

“Okay, that just isn't fair!” Oliver laughed. “We tried  _ so many ways  _ to get off the island! Tony Nelson doesn't even  _ acknowledge _ how lucky he is.”

“We? Weren't you alone?” Thea asked, turning on the couch to face her brother.

Oliver felt a cold wave of panic splash over his mind and lungs. He took a deep breath that ended up being rather shaky; how  _ stupid  _ he was to slip up like that! “I, uh...no, I wasn't alone, not at first. There were many people on the island. A few were my friends. The others were...not.”

“Alright. When and if you decide to tell me more, I'll be here. We should go to bed, Ollie, it's getting rather late.”

“Is it?” Oliver looked around. “I was thinking that maybe we could, er…”

“Could what? I'm tired, but I'll do whatever.”

Oliver sighed. “I don't k—it's raining.” 

“Yes, that did start rather suddenly.” Thea said, picking up the blanket she'd been using on the couch and wrapping it around her shoulders. She wasn't concerned about the rain; it was only drizzling. She yawned, Oliver didn't; Thea supposed this was what happened when you get used to living alone, but she just found out he  _ hadn't  _ been alone, at least not the whole time.

Quiet thunder rumbled in the distance, and Oliver jumped backwards, hitting his ankle against the coffee table with a sound far louder than the thunder. He didn't even wince, just started staring blankly out the window at the rain and the sudden sheet-lightning.  _ It's getting closer. _

“Hey, is your ankle okay?” Thea asked, receiving no response from her frozen brother. “I think we should go to bed now.” He still didn't move, and Thea was getting increasingly worried. She reached out slowly, careful not to startle him. “Ollie…” she laid her hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to bed now.” He turned to look at her over his shoulder, and he put a cold and rather shaky hand on top of hers. She smiled at him. “Come on.”

 

Oliver would've desired nothing more than to sleep on the floor in Thea’s room, but he didn't believe himself to be in a position to ask. He sat down on his bed and watched the doorway, where Thea stood.

“Goodnight, Ollie. I think Mom’ll come up a bit later.”

“Goodnight, Speedy.” 

Thea closed the door; Oliver laid back on his bed, confirming his suspicions of it being too soft to sleep on. It wasn't as if he found it uncomfortable; in fact, it was  _ too  _ comfortable; he'd fall too far into sleep and not wake up if something happened. He changed into his bedclothes and sighed, not exactly sure what to do. He knew he was going to sleep on the floor, but if what Thea said was true, and his mother would come up soon, they wouldn't want him there. He eventually decided just to sleep on the ground; it wasn't like Moira could exactly move him.

He could barely hear the rain, but he knew it was there; when he fell asleep and the powerful winds blew open the shutters, Oliver felt the pelt of the rain and the growl of the thunder both in his body and his mind.

 

“Moira, you really mustn't worry. Oliver hasn't been home a day, and I doubt very much he spoke often on the island. It must be hard on his vocal chords, and I'm certain over time he’ll have much to say to say to you. You are his mother, after all, and he loves you.”

“It seems to be very easy for him to talk with Thea.”

Walter took a moment to think before speaking. “They never had the chance to grow up together; they now speak to each other playfully, as brother and sister should. You're at no fault, Moira, you simply lack the affinity siblings tend to have.”

“I depend on your being right.”

The couple turned the corner in the hallway so they could see the doors of both Thea’s and Oliver’s rooms.

“It's strange knowing they're both occupied,” said Walter, sensing what his wife must've been thinking. “We don't have to mourn whenever we walk past, see.”

“Don't we,” Moira slowly pushed open the door. “Oliver? Oliver!” 

She saw her son shivering and thrashing underneath the window that seemed to have blown open in the storm. He and half the room were soaking wet. His indistinct muttering instantly told her he was in the throes of a nightmare—one moment she was reaching out to shake her son awake, and the next she was thrown on her back, a stiff hand pressed to her throat. She heard Walter yell something and she was quickly released. She coughed, airway finally free; unfortunately, the soreness didn't seem to be going anywhere. She saw Oliver scamper backwards, hiding behind his knees. He looked terrified.

“It's okay, Oliver!” she cried. “You're home!”


	7. Chapter 7

Thea wished she could say she had slept well. Through all the night that she had expected to feel content and gratified, she had worried. She worried that she would do something wrong in the day to come; she had not even imagined Oliver to act closer to her than he had before he died, but here he was. Thea was so sure that it was her mother that was doing things wrong—pushing him and giving him opportunities that were perhaps not appropriate...but what if she herself was the one applying the most pressure? Now Thea worried she wasn't allowing Oliver the space he needed to make his own decisions. 

She removed herself from her bed with the full intention of going straight to Oliver’s room, but after a moment of consideration, she went down to breakfast without even changing out of her pajamas;  _ space, _ she reminded herself, and she hoped that dressing in her bedclothes would create a more relaxed atmosphere (which her mother was bound to impede on).

Oliver didn't come down for breakfast.

Walter had already left for work, and Moira had spent most of the morning getting ready. When she finally returned however, she requested Thea wake her brother up, if it was he was still sleeping.

“Tommy and Laurel should be here any moment,” she reasoned.

“But he's probably exhausted!” Thea opposed.

“Oh, of that I have no doubt,” Moira said. “He didn't sleep to well last night.”

“How do you mean?”

“The storm seemed to remind him of the island, or perhaps when the Gambit went down.” The coolness in which she said this sickened Thea, but she ran upstairs nonetheless to check and make sure her brother was alright; she remembered his remarking in the rain the night before, and didn't doubt for a moment whether what her mother said was true. She barged straight into Oliver’s room.

The lights were off, but the light from outside adequately lit the room. A quick glance towards his still made bed told her he hadn't slept in it, and her eyes rested on her brother, who was dressing in front of a mirror. He was pulling a shirt on, but she didn't miss the large ropy white-pink scars that marked his back. 

He seemed to hear her entrance. _ “Don't you knock?!” _

He sounded angry. Really, truly, angry—almost vicious; it would've scared anyone but his sister. He really didn't want her to see his scars. She wasn't going to apologize, though; she knew her place. 

She ran right up to him, and he reluctantly turned; It seemed he knew her place as well. She looked over the scars while keeping a face that didn't show disgust or apprehension, although she feared what he may have endured to get them. She refused to let herself linger.

“So, did the—did the people on the island give those to you?” she asked.

“Some of them.” Oliver answered. Whether he meant some of the people or some of the scars, Thea didn't know, but she figured it may have been both.

“Uh...Tommy and Laurel will be here soon. You should probably eat now so you can opt out of Big Belly Burger.”

“I'm not hungry,” said Oliver, jerking away and buttoning up his shirt.

“I find that pretty amazing considering you haven't eaten anything in probably twenty-four hours,” she snapped. 

“I. Am not. Hungry.”

“Sure, fine, but what would you do if you  _ were?  _ Something tells me you wouldn't ask me or Raisa, and certainly not  _ mom _ considering you won't even say a word to her.”

Oliver glared. “I'd get my own food.”

After a brief moment of silence, Tommy’s exuberant arrival and Laurel’s awkward laugh echoed throughout the house. Thea smiled at her brother, on some level aware that she was trying to act exited so that Oliver would feel so; she could've sworn Oliver looked scared for a moment before he strode out of the room.

“What did I tell you,” Tommy said. “Yachts suck.” Moira sighed at Tommy’s chronic immaturity but Thea laughed and Oliver made an attempt to do so as well. Oliver’s response to Tommy’s hug was hesitant, just as it had been to his mother’s, which made Moira feel only slightly better. 

“Hey, Oliver,” Laurel said, smiling at Oliver, who smiled back over Tommy’s shoulder.

The three wasted no time in leaving, but barely made it past the walkway when Laurel noticed that Oliver had forgotten to wear shoes. When they returned to get them, Thea thought for a fleeting second that maybe Oliver had refused to leave without her, but was obviously proven incorrect; she mentally scolded herself for being so conceited.

“Have fun!” Thea told the group as they left for a second time. “Good luck!” she mouthed to her brother, giving him two thumbs up. He chuckled and closed the door behind himself.

Despite feeling a little bad about it, it was quite a relief for Thea not to have to worry about Oliver. She trusted that Laurel would be mindful of what Oliver needed, and not to overload him with questions about Sara’s fate; she did, however, expect her to ask. 

The group’s departure, however, left Thea and Moira alone together in silence. Thea still felt like shouting at her mother, but she knew it would be unprecedented; it wasn't as if Moira wasn't making an effort to help her son.

“I'm sorry for the way I treated you at dinner last night, and afterwards,” Thea finally said.

“I appreciate your apology,” said Moira. “I really do.”

“It's just...I don't think your idea of how to act around Oliver right now quite matches up with mine.”

“Thea, that implies I  _ have  _ an idea of how to act around Oliver, which I daresay I do not. I'm so lost, hon.”

“That makes two of us.”

“I'm not sure it does. He loves you, Thea, and it's evident he spent all seven years on that island with you in mind. But  _ me... _ I fear our connection was lost along with the Gambit.”

“No, mom, he returned to us. He came back! I'm sure Walter has told you this, but he will come back to you too.” 

The two women hugged, and suddenly Moira was crying, her mascara pooling under her eyes.

“...I spent all morning on my make-up…”

“Trying to cover up how you're feeling? I get it.” They pulled apart and Thea inspected her mother's face. “Beautiful as ever.”

Moira smiled at her daughter. She took a breath to recover. “Regardless of how either of us  _ feel  _ at the moment, we need to be a united force. You said you'd go to Dr. Lam today?” Thea nodded. “Good. See what he recommends. Do you need a ride?”

“I can drive, mom.”

“Oh, yes. I'm sorry. For a moment there I was seeing you as when you were younger, before Oliver disappeared.”

“I sense it’s going to be very confusing for you once you have grandchildren.”

“You may be right.” Moira left the room and Thea pulled out her phone. She found a dozen missed calls and many texts from Roy.

 

_ Need a ride? We’re picking up BBB we can drive by one the way. _

_ Team meet in 5 min. Where r u? _

_ Missed call (2) _

_ Tryouts 10 min in we need u _

_ Missed call (6) _

_ Tryouts bummer no additions. _

_ U okay? Whole team worried _

_ Missed call (3) _

_ Is that your brother on tv? He’s alive?  _

_ Missed call (1) _

_ Call me when u can. _

  
_ “Crap,”  _ Thea breathed.


	8. Chapter 8

“ _Crap_ ,” Thea breathed. Her dance team had held tryouts the day before for new members and she hadn't been there. Surely this would clear up when she explained her brother came back from the dead, but there was no way she could make up what she may have lost not watching the aspirants. She sighed, deciding she'd stop by the studio after meeting with Dr. Lam.

Something else buzzed up on her phone and Thea half expected it to say she was kicked off the team.

It was Moira sending Dr. Lam’s contact information. Thea laughed at her mother's sudden competency. The Queens had a great amount of “sway” with the hospital, so all Thea needed to do was text Dr. Lam ahead and make sure he wasn't busy. When he responded that he had a few minutes, Thea explained Oliver’s body’s aversion to the foods he tried to eat and his reluctance to talk to anyone except for her. Dr. Lam responded a few minutes later with a long text that would've been far better formatted in an e-mail. Before reading the entire thing, Thea looked at the PDF he’s attached and saw it was a list of foods, presumably the stuff Oliver should eat and should have been eating.

She then read the text, sitting down on a nearby bench usually used for putting shoes on as she scrolled up to reveal it’s extent. It basically told her that Oliver’s reaction to the food had to do with his stomach going into shock, and that she should give him access to more mild things. He also recommended that she inquire after his diet on the island so that she could better match it.

As for the talking, Dr. Lam at first strongly recommended a psychiatrist, saying that he was merely a medical doctor and not the most informed recipient of information. He did believe, however, that Oliver had trouble with talking because there were no other people on the island. He theorized that Oliver talked to Thea because he had kept her in mind his entire time away, perhaps even talking to her even in her absence. The idea made her heart both clench and swell at the same time, if that feeling even existed.

 _Thank you_ , she texted.

 _If he has been fixating on you, you have a responsibility in his re-integration. I trust you’ll do your best_ , Dr. Lam sent back.

_Of course._

Pulling the closest pair of shoes on (which may have been her mother’s), Thea left the house. She was about to jog down the driveway and get a car of her own when she saw a familiar looking man walking her way.

“Digg! Hey,” she said.

Diggle smiled and walked over to her. “So Ollie’s back?” He used the name ‘Ollie’ because that's how Thea always referred to him. Digg only knew Oliver by name and through pictures, as he'd only been employed by the Queens for two years.

“Yes!” Thea buried herself in Digg’s arms for a brief hug, partly because he’d just reastated what had made her so happy the day before. She pulled away, smiling.

“I'm happy for you. And him,” Digg said. He looked around for a moment. “What are you doing out here? Not just to see me.”

Thea chuckled. “Not this time,” she said. “Hey, do you want to take me to the supermarket? I have a few...groceries to get.”

“Thea Queen grocery shopping. I never thought I'd live to see the day,”

 

Twenty minutes later, Digg and Thea were “Starling City Supermarket.” They'd long passed the point where Digg would just wait in the car or go in as a bodyguard, so he was pushing the shopping cart and trying to share the list on Thea’s phone with Thea. The text was small so Thea had to read parts of it aloud.

“So… ‘non-seasoned meats,’” Thea started.

“Like beef?” Digg questioned, pushing the cart over to the frozen meat section.

“I'm guessing there weren't cows on the island. What else do we have: ‘low-sodium broth,’ ‘organic vegetables’...geez, this is more health food than my mother's diet last year. I thought we were trying to get him to gain weight!”

“Is he…?”

“No. He looks normal. We just want him to eat.”

“So you're getting all of this for Ollie. I knew that there had to be a cause to get you to go shopping for anything other than clothes.”

“Okay...the last time? That was important. That was for a dance show.”

“Eight consecutive dance shows?” Digg raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, most people on my team can't afford things like that.” Five of them lived in the glades, and Thea had more than enough money to buy costumes for all of them. The ‘team’ had quite a reputation in Starling City.

Thea sent Digg off to go get broth and vegetables while she collected meat, bread, and crackers. All the crackers seemed to have a lot of salt, so Thea spent time looking at the nutrition facts of each box, almost obsessing.

 

They returned home with multiple shopping bags, but ran in and dropped them in the mud room when they saw multiple police cars in the driveway.

 

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it turns out I'm capable of updating! Here I thought shorter chapters would mean posting more frequently, but no...

_ “Whoa, whoa there buddy. Let's—dial it down a notch, _ ” came Tommy’s voice from the living room. Thea ran in and saw Tommy trying to get a tense and glaring Oliver to calm down. His hand was hovering over Oliver’s shoulder. Laurel was looking worriedly between Detective Lance and Oliver

 

“You will not talk to my son that way in my house!” Moira shouted at Quentin, who was being held back by Pike.

 

“He—he killed my daughter, killed my Sara—” Quentin said lowly, almost  to himself.

 

“Dad!” Laurel yelled.

 

“Leave my house,” Moira demanded, and Pike practically had to pull Quentin from the room.

 

“I—I’m sorry about him. I'll go and see if the police have any more questions for me to answer…” Laurel stammered. 

 

“Me too,” said Tommy, seeing Thea and Digg and figuring they had the situation covered.

 

Once the door had closed, Thea approached Moira, who was kneeling in front of Oliver, who sat on the couch. Oliver turned to look at Thea when he heard her footsteps.

 

“What...happened? Is Ollie okay?” Thea asked.

 

“Thankfully. He and his friends were...kidnapped. Probably for ransom. Whoever would kidnap a boy right after he returned from the dead…” Moira trailed off, reaching out and delicately holding Oliver’s hand.

 

“But...it’s only been two or so hours.”

 

“Yes, well,  _ apparently  _ the kidnappers were fought off by some mysterious man. Or so Tommy and Laurel have told us. Oliver, however…”

 

“ _ Mom. _ ” Thea stopped her mother, trying to remind her of the conversation they'd had a few hours prior.

 

Moira looked a little confused, but picked up what she was saying elsewhere. “Detective Lance came over to ask them some questions, but when Oliver wasn't—comfortable enough—answering, he took instead to provoking him. He still blames him for Sara, as you know.”

 

“Poor man,” Thea said, although she wasn't feeling much sympathy at the moment.

 

“Poor, yes. He still had no right to say what he did to Oliver,” Moira said. Oliver stood up and quietly left, finger brushing; perhaps he heard his name mentioned a few too many times.

 

“Yeah, he'd better hope he doesn't run into  _ me  _ anytime soon…”

 

“You should talk to Oliver; he’ll answer you,” Moira suggested to Thea. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Diggle.”

 

Thea ran up the stairs to Oliver’s room, supposing that that would be where he’d retreat. She knocked on the door.

 

_ “Thea,” _ Oliver said from the other side. She knew it meant ‘come in.’ 

 

Thea shivered when she entered the room, quickly spotting Oliver sitting on the window sill with his legs dangling outside. She was beyond worrying that he'd fall after seeing how he had learned to climb and drop down safely. He scooted over slightly and she sat down next to him, trusting him to look after her safety as well.

 

“What happened?” she asked.

 

“Er...we were shot by some darts, woke up bound, etcetera, and some person in a green hood came and saved us.” What Oliver said sounded rehearsed—as usual—and Thea figured that he was still working to speak normally again. She thought he was doing an excellent job, although his voice did still sound incredibly hoarse.

 

“Laurel and Tommy didn't mention a green hood.”

 

“They weren't the ones being...questioned.”

 

“Questioned? Oliver, did they hurt you?!”

 

“Not really. They wanted to know if Dad was alive, if he told me anything.”

 

“Is he? Sorry, did he?”

 

Oliver turned to Thea, eyes hard. He said nothing. 

 

Thea looked down, swinging her feet a little. “...Alright.” So, obviously Dad did tell Oliver something. It didn't seem like Oliver was trying to lie, though. The silence and stare seemed more towards intimidation.  _ Pfhht. Nice try, Ollie.  _ Still, she'd let him retain his silence. At least for a while. “So...aside from the,” she chuckled, “abduction, what did you three do?”

 

“Apparently, I'm throwing a party,” Oliver said quietly. He looked tired. “A big one: ‘invite the whole city!’”

 

“And this is bad?” Of course it was; Oliver hadn't been a part of civilization for seven years! No way was he going back so quickly to his party life. Knowing the ‘new’ Oliver, too, she wasn't sure he'd want too anyways. 

 

Oliver didn't answer. Probably too proud.

 

“Tommy, yeah? I'll talk with him. You don't need to do anything like that if you don't want. We can have a small get-together at home, if you want, or nothing at all.” Thea watched Oliver expectantly, but was learning not to always expect an answer.

 

“I'll think about it, actually,” Oliver answered after a moment, not sounding very sure of himself. Thea offhandedly noticed that his ‘k’s and ‘c’s sounded more like the sound ‘qu’ made. Not that she'd point it out. Oliver took a breath. “We drove around.” 

 

It took Thea a moment to remember his answer’s context.

 

“Did you enjoy yourself?” she asked.

 

“No.”

 

“Hmm?” 

 

“We were moving too fast. I don't know.”

 

“The car, or just everything?”

 

Oliver shrugged.

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

“What are you looking at?” Thea asked, having been side-eying Oliver tapping (with difficulty) on a laptop. Thea’d been sitting on a couch near the window for about half an hour, while Oliver sat on a side table next to it after removing the lamp. Thea had cracked the window open to let some---honestly freezing---air blow into the room, hoping that it would help Oliver feel less cramped up. She’d also discovered that Oliver didn’t seem to like it when the lights were turned on, preferring natural light from the sun.

 

Somewhat startled, Oliver quickly lowered his screen. “Current events,” he said before resuming his activity, this time angled so the back of the laptop was pointed towards Thea. Thea would’ve felt more shut out if she hadn’t secretly been texting with Tommy and with Roy.

 

Tommy’s excuse for promoting a party so soon was that he wanted to ‘engage’ Oliver---apparently he hadn’t said a word the entire time. Laurel had apparently noted that Oliver had been tense and sweaty the whole time; Thea wondered why she’d let Oliver leave in the first place.

 

“You said you practice dance every day,” Oliver said suddenly, closing the laptop completely and very carefully lowering it onto the couch.

 

“Yeah,” Thea nodded.

 

“Er…” Oliver’s eyes were focused on something over Thea’s shoulder and he was fidgeting with his fingers. “When’s that today?”

 

Thea pursed her lips, unsure of how to approach this. “Well...I thought that today I’d stay with you.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So...dance?”

 

++++++

 

Thea really wasn’t sure how Oliver had convinced her that bringing him into the city for a second time that day was a good idea. He had expressed eagerness to see her group perform, and had said that he wasn’t finished scoping out the city.

 

She rode in the backseat with Oliver, holding his hand, while Digg drove them to Verdant, where they’d meet Roy and Sin and the others.

 

Thea watched Oliver’s face carefully, noticing how his eyes fluttered from place to place far too quickly to be normal. She tried to draw his attention by rubbing over his knuckles with her thumb or trying to spark conversation, but Oliver was reluctant to utter a syllable with Digg in the car.

 

When they arrived at the secluded drive-in, Oliver had a bit of a fight with the car door and its lock that would’ve been comical had it not been for Oliver’s obvious frustration. Diggle---honestly sort of worried that Oliver was going to try and break the window---finally opened it for him, and while Oliver’s face was a mask of indifference, Thea could tell he was annoyed with himself.

 

Oliver stopped after walking a few feet from the car, as did Thea, and then Diggle. Digg and Thea sent questioning looks to each other and then too Oliver, who looked expectantly at Thea. He looked confused for a brief moment before making a small gesture with his hand for her to go in front of him.

 

“Oh,” Thea said, looking at her brother as she started walking in front of him, looking backwards. When she saw him give her a small and surprisingly serious nod, she kept going. “Oh, okay.”

 

 

Satisfied that Thea would be safe in between himself and the other man, Oliver allowed himself to enter the building with one last look outside.

 

 

Roy, Art, and Litza were already there, so they were waiting on Sin, Emma, and Jordan. Thea was met with exultant greetings from the group that left Oliver hanging by the door, eying Thea’s dance team suspiciously. Thea walked towards her friends, turning to wave and encourage Oliver to move closer; it was his idea to come, after all. Oliver took a small step forward, clearly just to please her. Was he having second thoughts? As she passed Diggle she murmured to him to watch Oliver, although it was reiteration.

 

“Hey guys! That’s my brother, Oliver. Don’t mess with him---I’m sure you’ve heard the story,” Thea announced. “Oliver, this is Litza.” Thea gestured to a brightly-dressed girl with pink/purple hair, who waved her fingers. “...This is Art…” Art had long mousy hair which was pulled back in a loose ponytail. He wore a shirt with its sleeves cut off and a pair of light grey sweatpants, which looked to be worn often.

 

“And this…is Roy.” Thea smiled as she reached out to Roy, who swung an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss to show their relationship.

 

When she and Roy pulled away from each other after a brief moment, Thea was startled to see her brother’s firm features much closer than they had been before, blue eyes squinted as he scrutinized Roy. Roy stared right back, hiding his understandable nervousness. Oliver prowled around Roy a bit, trying to get a different angle, and Roy let him as long as he kept his distance.

 

 

Oliver reviewed Thea’s ‘boyfriend,’ Roy, making sure he was safe to be around. He seemed fit, relatively battle-ready, but displayed a somewhat suspicious level of trust when he allowed Oliver to walk behind him. He needed to know if Roy would be fit protect Thea in Oliver’s absence, and if he could trust him not to be a danger himself.

 

To test this, Oliver threw a punch, making his movements obvious and rather slow. Roy’s eyes widened and he avoided the strike, which was only half-heartedly aimed at his shoulder.

 

“Whoa, what!” Roy didn’t run away, but did move back a bit along with everyone else in the room besides Thea.

 

“Ollie!”

 

_Not particularly belligerent then…_

 

Oliver aimed a punch again, just as slow, which Roy blocked, holding his hand up in a threat to fight back. The block was hardly expert, but it was functional and showed a willingness to fight when provoked.

 

Oliver stepped back, Thea’s hand on his chest, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He nodded, patting Roy somewhat roughly on the shoulder. The two shared a look of some form of trust and affirmation before Oliver slurked back over to a corner to look over the rest of the team.

 

 

Thea was sure she’d never quite understand men.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and of course 'slurk' is a word


End file.
